AN ACT RELATING TO ELECTIONS -- RHODE ISLAND FUSION VOTING ACT

HB 5712 establishes fusion voting in Rhode Island, allowing candidates to run under multiple political parties for the same office. It directly affects candidates, political parties, and voters by enabling a single candidate to appear on the ballot under multiple party lines. Key provisions require candidates to formally accept all nominations in writing within 10 days, mandate ballots to display the candidate under each nominating party, and combine all votes for that candidate across party lines into a single total while preventing duplicate voting. The bill also requires ballot design and voting equipment to clearly support this process, including voter instructions and accessibility compliance.